Belly's portrayals of the Near East were greatly admired during his lifetime. He travelled to Beirut, Cairo and Alexandria painting scenes of these cities. In a letter to his mother he describes these desert landscapes, "The colours and contours of the landscape are breathtakingly beautiful... There are no words to describe the gorgeous colorings, the stunning harmony of an almost violet sky above the sand tinged with mingled purple and gold against a turquoise sea."

In 1856 he travelled with Gérôme, Berchère and Bartholdi to explore the Nile. During this trip he painted a series of small pictures that show a strong interest in color harmonies and light values. Our recently discovered work was probably painted during this first sojourn.